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1774 – Quartering Act

The Quartering Act was scheduled to be modified every two years. In 1774 British parliament modified the act which was included in a package of five laws known as Intolerable or Coercive Acts of 1774. The purpose of these laws was to assert its power in the colony as reprisal for the Boston Tea Party protest.

By 1774 the political mood was highly charged and residents were initiating political gatherings and organizations such as the Sons of Liberty and its leaders, Samuel Adams and James Ottis, were advocating their political views.

The modified law allowed British commanders to choose where their troops would reside, this was in reaction to colonial assemblies billeting British troops far from they were actually needed. In addition, if barracks or vacated public buildings were not available, the local commander was legally allowed to find accommodation for his soldiers in private houses. Furthermore, the law was extended to all thirteen colonies.

The 1774 Quartering Act along with the other Coercive Acts gave colonial residents the momentum to seek a political solution to British tyranny. Later that year, in September, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, fifty six delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies attended the congress.


Related Information


Quartering Act of 1765

The first in a series of Quartering Acts, also known as Mutiny Act. It required colonial assemblies to provide housing, food and drink to British troops stationed in their towns with the purpose of improving living conditions and decreasing the cost to the crown.

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